Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Stony Hill

For one person, living is cheaper in Stony Hill: $1,614 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Stony Hill
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Stony Hill Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Stony Hill

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Stony Hill

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Jose and in Stony Hill actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $1,614 in Stony Hill, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
Stony Hill $1,614

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $2,808 in Stony Hill, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
Stony Hill $2,808

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $4,002 in Stony Hill, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
Stony Hill $4,002

San Jose costs about 20% more than Stony Hill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Jose and Stony Hill sit above the global median – San Jose by 44%, Stony Hill by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$13.54 JMD 2,140

-8.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$75.1 JMD 11.9K

-18.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$8.37 JMD 1,322

36.80%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$5.37 JMD 849

-18.25%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₡1,211

$1.14 JMD 180

136.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$0.60 JMD 94.8

221.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$1.86 JMD 293

72.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$3.22 JMD 509

36.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$3.08 JMD 487

-20.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$1.55 JMD 245

96.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.65 JMD 260

46.06%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$3.47 JMD 548

-2.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$11.50 JMD 1,817

-6.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$4.92 JMD 777

111.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$2.87 JMD 454

387.46%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$5.89 JMD 931

-10.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$3.76 JMD 594

-57.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$4.12 JMD 652

13.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$2.45 JMD 388

61.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$2.75 JMD 435

42.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$1.90 JMD 300

93.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.61 JMD 255

-30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$1.45 JMD 229

120.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$9.45 JMD 1,493

-36.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$11.13 JMD 1,759

75.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$2.79 JMD 440

1.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$3.90 JMD 616

-7.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$1.16 JMD 183

115.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$3.21 JMD 506

-49.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$6.29 JMD 993

35.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.72 JMD 113

116.67%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$31.7K JMD 5.0M

-29.25%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$25.3K JMD 4.0M

40.85%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$46.98 JMD 7,422

102.68%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$21.73 JMD 3,433

63.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$41.54 JMD 6,563

41.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$75.6 JMD 11.9K

-3.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

$19.10 JMD 3,017

30.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$12.63 JMD 1,996

-39.98%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$360 JMD 56.9K

177.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$8,318 JMD 1.3M

106.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$23.28 JMD 3,678

202.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$31.45 JMD 4,969

77.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$75.0 JMD 11.8K

73.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$104 JMD 16.5K

25.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$937 JMD 148.0K

-1.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$764 JMD 120.7K

1.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$2,225 JMD 351.5K

-11.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$1,877 JMD 296.5K

-31.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-4.22%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Stony Hill: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Stony Hill

$764 47.4% 1.3% $10

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Stony Hill

$295 18.3% 26.4% $106

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Stony Hill

$221 13.7% 3.8% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Stony Hill

$110 6.8% 41.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Stony Hill

$105 6.5% 39.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Stony Hill

$101 6.3% 14.8% $13

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Stony Hill

$17 * 1.1% 79% $65

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $927 in San Jose versus $937 in Stony Hill. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in San Jose versus $75.0 in Stony Hill. Groceries tell a different story – $401 in San Jose vs $295 in Stony Hill – so Stony Hill wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇯🇲 Stony Hill

🕒 Local time

00:58 12:58 AM

01:58 1:58 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

8,551

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Stony Hill 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Stony Hill

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

San Jose vs Stony Hill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,907 per month in San Jose and $2,420 in Stony Hill. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stony Hill, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,938 in San Jose and $1,614 in Stony Hill. That's a gap of about 20%.

Kindergarten costs $1,001 per month in San Jose and $360 in Stony Hill. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Stony Hill, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Stony Hill it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Stony Hill – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Stony Hill. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.